Kamen Rider Chapra
by starofjustice
Summary: Julia White finds herself drawn into a competition with other super-powered warriors to save the world from nightmarish creatures. But does she have more to worry about from the monsters, or her fellow contestants?
1. Chapter 1

Kamen Rider Chapra Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any of the associated trademarks. Kamen Rider Chapra, its characters and setting are my creations and may not be used without express written permission. If you do though, just ask.

"What will it be, Julia?"

The dagger-like tip of one of the creature's eight hairy appendages loomed half an inch in front of her face. Peter stood next to the thing, whatever it was, his arm still outstretched to shove her out of the way with his mouth frozen in a cry of alarm. A wisp of her own blazing red ponytail hung horizontally in the air. The world was covered in a blue haze that she didn't doubt was the cause of it all.

"I'm offering you the power to save yourself. Save your knight in shining armor there. Save other people from horrors like the one about to poke a hole through your skull."

"I heard you the first time," Julia said, fingering the silver box with a blue jewel on either side suddenly strapped to her waist.

It just didn't make any sense. Peter had invited her out, showed her a ring he'd probably be spending the next five years paying off. Then from out of nowhere, that _thing_ had appeared. It looked like some kind of giant spider, she supposed now, with its rows of compound eyes, clicking mandibles and eight horrifying legs. Although her attention was only on one of them at the moment.

"I can't keep the stasis up very long, Miss White. This offer won't last. Then again, it is, as I said, an offer."

"This has gotta be a dream…"

"It isn't, and if you don't accept the power I'm giving you, you won't having anymore of those."

The blue haze covering everything around her started to flicker and the end of the spider-thing's leg slid closer to her face. Not needing anymore provocation Julia took the card she held in a trembling hand, on its face a white chess bishop, and slipped it into a slot on the belt buckle.

"Good girl. Say 'transform' and pull back on the input trigger."

"Transform!" Julia yelled and tugged as hard as she could on a switch on the buckle's side. The blue haze vanished and dazzling light burst from her belt. Peter went flying through the air from the force and knocked over another of the café's tables. He didn't move, and in a way Julia was grateful. She didn't feel like trying to explain this to her boyfriend. The spider was driven back also, but clacked its mandibles angrily. She had a feeling it wasn't done with her yet.

Julia caught a glimpse of herself in the café window and gasped at what she saw. She wore a blue bodysuit over which was arrayed thick silver armor. Her cheeks flushed as she noticed it formed around her breasts. Hiding her face was a smooth silver mask with two round red eyes. Then the spider hissed and scrambled toward her on its eight legs.

"Use the reliquary card next!" the voice of her unseen patron said. Quickly Julia rifled through the deck and a card with a short staff with a golden cross on the end, slammed it into her buckle and pulled the input trigger again. The staff appeared in one hand and almost without thinking she swung it at the monster's head. The spider was lifted clean off the ground and flew toward the side of a building. It landed nimbly then jumped at Julia.

"Defense now! The cloak!"

Again Julia checked the deck and found one depicting her, or at least someone in her new outfit, holding up one arm to show off a glistening white cape. She slapped it into the buckle and pulled the trigger. The cloak appeared hanging from her shoulders and she held it between herself and the spider, which ran into it at full speed and ricocheted off with a roar of energy.

She raised her staff and brought it down on the spider's head, raised and violently lowered her weapon again. The monster's hiss had weakened by the third knock, but suddenly it reared up and spat streams of white fibers that hit her on the elbows and pinned her arms to her sides. The spider then rushed forward and jabbed her repeatedly with its barbed feet.

"The power card! Load that!"

Julia gasped and fell, but in her hand was a card with the staff, the cross on the end replaced by a blazing ball of light. Holding in a yelp she shoved the card into her buckle and pulled the trigger with her thumb.

Indeed, the staff erupted in light, burning away the web. With her arms free Julia shoved the glowing end of her weapon into the spider's underside. It let out a hissing scream and smoke poured from the point of impact. It gave Julia a second to jump back and get enough room to use her weapon properly.

"Final Purification," Julia said, swinging the reliquary straight down at the spider's head. It cleaved through the monster from stem to stern, which then disintegrated into tiny yellow particles that flowed into the tip of her weapon.

Shaking, Julia pulled out the card depicting the bishop and was relieved to see the armor peeling away, leaving her as she was before. The only thing proving she hadn't just dreamed everything that just happened was a handful of familiar cards.

"Bravo, Julia. I'll be in touch…"

She was about to call out, to demand to know what was going on, but she heard a groan in Peter's direction and the wail of police sirens up the street. It wouldn't do to be seen talking to thin air. And whoever that was did say they'd be in touch…

***

The boys from down at the station had spent an hour trying to get answers out of Peter for questions that didn't have any. At least, none that he was equipped to give them. Wanting to make sure Julia was all right, he eventually waved them off, promising to do his best to give a report at his next shift.

Julia sat across his kitchen table in silence, staring intently into her coffee and occasionally taking a tense sip of stale Columbian sludge. Peter clutched the box holding the ring he'd bought for Julia under the table, muttering to himself.

"Sorry that spider messed up your plans," Julia said, knowing it wouldn't help much.

"I wish I knew what happened to it. I mean, if it came after you before…"

"It probably won't. It's got a whole city of people to eat, right? You ever hear of spiders holding grudges?"

He managed a weak smile. "No, I guess not." It turned into a frown. "But that wasn't a regular spider…"

"You can say that again," Julia muttered into her cup.

Peter bit his lip and laid the box on the table. "I'm sorry…I wanted this to be special…"

She reached over and gently placed her hand over his. "It's okay, Pete. Who would've predicted a giant spider attacking us? We should probably be glad somebody from the FBI isn't grilling us about what happened."

"About the ring--"

"No offense Pete, but you don't really expect me to have an answer after that, do you?"

"I guess not."

She set down her coffee. "I'm gonna go use the lady's room."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Julia left the kitchen, giving herself a pinch as soon as Peter couldn't see her anymore. It didn't work. Peter's apartment was still there, and so were those weird cards tucked into her back pocket.

What the hell was going on? There was no such thing as spider monsters, time stopping or superheroes. And yet that afternoon she'd seen all three. She was interrupted when her cell phone rang. Shuffling through her purse, she finally found the squealing lump of plastic and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Julia," said a calm voice on the other end. The same one that had directed her through her battle that afternoon. "Is this a bad time?"

"Who the hell are you?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

"If it suits you give me a name, Mr. Fortunes will do," the voice replied. "And I was calling to answer your second question."

"Well? Answer it."

"Ah, but I can't do that with your boyfriend just around the corner, capable of barging in on this conversation at any moment. Can I? Oh no, we're going to have to meet and have a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. Like the kind your parents told you about." "I've got a policy against dating people I meet online. I think this counts," Julia said, looking around to make sure Peter wasn't coming.

"Oh Julia, you're not fooling me, or yourself I imagine. You wouldn't be pushing your boss to put you in the crime report section, let alone dating a police detective if you weren't a risk taker. I'll be sending a new address to your GPS, and I'll be expecting you there in an hour and a half."

"How is that even possible?"

"You're still surprised after everything you saw today? Good, an open mind is vital in what I'm asking of you."

"Which is?" Julia pressed.

Dial tone was the only answer.

"Peter?"

"Yes?" he called back.

"That was the editor. Apparently that spider thing showed up again and they want me to talk to a witness. Right now."

"Maybe I should go with you--"

"Nah! Doesn't your shift start at six? The one where you're going to explain what happened this afternoon?"

"That's true…just be careful, okay?"

"I have a feeling it's already too late," Julia muttered.

***

Julia looked down at her phone, then up again at the squat, dark office building in front of her. There wasn't a lit window to be seen, and only a dim florescent bulb lighting the foyer in front of her.

Shaking her head, she pushed a glass door open and wandered in, half expecting the doors to slam and lock the instant she was clear. That didn't happen, but once she was inside she noticed a security booth where a balding guard sat watching a collection of monitors.

"Um, excuse me?" Julia spoke up. "I'm here to meet with Mr. Fortunes?"

The guard didn't turn to face her, he just pressed a black button on a console underneath the monitors. There was a mechanical whirring and Julia jumped back in surprise as part of the wall next to the booth retracted, revealing a long, well-lit hallway. A bit anxiously, Julia started down the hall, and had barely gone six steps before the door slid shut again behind her. She shook her head and kept going, reminding herself she had the buckle if anything happened. Then again, this Mr. Fortunes had given it to her, and could probably keep her from using it against him if he wanted.

She shivered involuntarily and hurried along.

After a few turns the hall ended at a pair of double doors, one of which was propped open. On the other side was a large room with a square table in the middle. Three of its sides were occupied. One by a bald man with bulging biceps who looked to be in his late 30's, a black-haired woman about Julia's age with a bored glower dominating her face, and the third by a young man with straw blonde hair with his arms fold over his chest. She couldn't read his expression, and for a second she almost thought he was meditating as he waited. As Julia approached all three looked up.

"Miss White, you're here," said a voice she recognized as the one that had guided her through her fight with the spider and invited her over.

"It sure looks that way. Is the last seat for me?"

"Of course. Please be seated."

Julia did, palming the cards as she set her purse on the floor just in case. A door opened in the opposite wall and into the room sauntered an elderly man in a suit that probably cost a couple thousand dollars. He had thick white hair and walked with a silver-tipped cane, but his green eyes darted back and forth, sizing the four of them up. Julia was tempted to say the cane was just an affectation.

"Mr. Fortunes, I presume?" the other woman asked.

The elderly man smiled and bowed to them. "Indeed, and you are a remarkable group of people indeed. Although I suspect you are here in search of answers at what has happened to you recently. That is what I will attempt to provide."

Julia clenched the cards tighter and felt a tingling around her waist like when the buckle had appeared before. She wasn't the only one? Somehow, she wasn't surprised, but that news didn't do much to put her at ease.

"First, introductions are in order. You've already been in contact with me, but to my right," Fortunes indicated the burly man, "is Randy Morgan, or Tor. Excellent work against the Fly Taint."

"Thanks," Randy said impassively.

"Beside him, Kelly Grier, or Legion."

The black-haired woman shrugged.

"Next, Kevin Williams, Krysaider. Truly your talent with a blade is something to behold."

"You knew about that before you gave me this," the blonde-haired man said and held up a buckle like Julia's, but with green jewels on the sides instead of blue.

"Indeed I did," Fortunes smiled. "And last not but least, Chapra, Julia White. Slayer of the Spider Taint."

"What are you talking about? Those monsters have names?" Julia asked. "And what's with those weird names you're calling us?"

"As I said, I will try to explain," Fortunes replied. "It begins not long ago when a man, Isaac Locus by name, was on an expedition to the South Pole. He became separated from his compatriots one night and stumbled into a cave. There, he found something entombed in the ice. Black, formless…but definitely alive.

"The first thing Locus did was to call off the expedition and have scientists in his employ collect the thing he'd found for study. Before long they'd discovered the life form was some kind of parasite, but its genetic structure was forever shifting. They attempted to graft its essence to a variety of different animals, but that was their fatal error.

"The animals evolved at a horrifying rate. Within days they had become monstrous beings of terrible power and ferocity. They easily escaped confinement and tore down the compound where they were being studied. Ever since, they've been stalking through cities and fields, killing anyone they can isolate and attack."

"I wasn't exactly isolated when that spider thing attacked me," Julia reminded him.

"Indeed, and that proves that now more than ever, something must be done about the Taint."

"Let me guess," Kelly interrupted. "You're this Locus guy and you're trying to fix the problem you made."

Fortunes laughed and shook his head. "I don't blame you for thinking that, but no. I represent an organization aware of the Taint, as we've dubbed them, but determined to help humans protect themselves against the threat they represent. The four of you represent our ultimate achievement.

"That is what the names I gave you mean, each is the name of the set of amplification gear you were given. They will enable you to hunt down and eliminate the Taint when they appear.

"But there is more. As you destroy the Taint and absorb their energy you will also be collecting bounties. The more powerful the Taint, the greater the bounty. Once you've collected enough bounties, you will be rewarded with new abilities."

"And what's the thinking behind that, if you want us to save the world from these…Taints?" Kevin asked in a deep, almost hypnotic voice. "Shouldn't we all be getting the same benefits?"

"Should you? Competition would keep you on your toes, and those of you who prove most capable of hunting Taint will be able to do so more effectively. Lives are at stake, Mr. Williams. We didn't develop your powers and bring you together to hold your hands and tell you're doing a good job when you aren't."

"So if we're being graded, where does everyone stand right now?" asked Randy as he leaned an elbow on the table to look Mr. Fortunes in the eye.

"At this point in time each of you has defeated one Taint of relatively equal threat, but because you were each guided through the use of your abilities no bounty was collected. If you accept the equipment you will be on your own from here on out. Does anyone wish to back out?"

"Naw, this sounds like fun," Kelly replied, a smirk breaking the bland expression she'd had through the entire meeting.

"I'm in. This is way too far to go for a joke," Randy said, rubbing his shoulder.

Kevin said nothing. He merely nodded at the question.

"Miss White?" Fortunes asked, and all eyes were on Julia.

"Sure, why not," she said after a moment of deliberation. "If anymore of those monsters come after me I'd like to be able to defend myself."

"As good a reason as any," Fortunes smiled. He rapped the tip of his cane on the floor and the door he'd entered through opened again. A woman carrying a briefcase walked through, then set the case on the table and opened it. Inside were four small devices that looked like flat cellular phones, but based on everything else that had happened Julia guessed there was more to them than that.

"These will alert you when a Taint has been detected and tell you where to find them," Fortunes explained. "By tomorrow morning you'll have each received a final gift. Happy hunting."

With that, Fortunes and the aide walked back through the door which closed heavily behind them. The others each palmed one of the devices, and still feeling a bit overwhelmed, Julia did too.

"So, which monster did you fight?" she asked Kelly.

"Don't try to make friends with me. This is a contest, remember?"

"So why don't you get out there and bag your next Taint if you're so into this contest?" Kevin said, putting a firm hand on Kelly shoulder and hustling her out the door. Kelly shot him a dirt look over her shoulder, but kept going once she reached the door. Randy shook his head with a weary smirk on his face, then followed her.

"What about you?" Julia tried again with Kevin, hoping to make a good impression with at least one of these people.

"The Owl Taint," he said simply.

"Was it tough?"

"Kind of. Was yours?"

"I guess. I haven't had to fight anyone for a while. Never a giant spider," Julia explained.

"I hope I'll get to see you in action sometime," Kevin said. Then before Julia could get out another word, he slipped the tracking gadget into his pocket and sauntered out too.

***

A muttered curse escaped Peter's lips as he noticed a ribbon of blood on his razor. He didn't even notice the dark circles under his eyes from laying in bed all night staring at the ceiling. Julia hadn't called, hadn't answered her phone, hadn't come back after going off to do her interview.

The interview. Right. He had one of his own to face once he got to the precinct, didn't he? He got his uniform off its hanger and shined his badge before pinning it on. He had to put his problems with his girlfriend out of his mind for the moment. There'd be time to hear her story after his shift was over. With a sigh he descended the stairs and a minute later had pulled into the street on his way to the 32nd.

As he stopped for a red light he couldn't help asking himself if it was his fault things with Julia had cooled of late. She'd wanted to spend more time on her work, show her editor she could handle a more lucrative beat. Namely, the crime reports. Peter had warned her to look for something else because of the kind of attention she might attract, and she'd jut gotten up and gone home without a word.

Peter had hoped if he'd popped the question, showed Julia what she really meant to him, she'd understand his intentions. Julia had agreed to meet him the day before, surely that meant something…

A blaring car horn seized his attention and to his consternation Peter realized he was sitting two car lengths in front of a green light. He pressed the gas and his car rolled onward. This was exactly why they told him to leave his problems at home.

After a minute the familiar sight of the 32nd precinct came into sight, but it only took an instant to realize something was wrong. The east wall had been smashed in and the roof on that side had collapsed. Standing atop a flaming pile of patrol cars was a creature with dull red skin and bat-like wings. A high-pitched shrieking sound that almost seemed like a laugh reached Peter's ears right before his windshield shattered from the noise. The car's hood crumpled in as it came to rest against the side the precinct.

***

Julia felt a blazing heat digging into her eyes and thought for sure one of those, what were they called, Taints had found her for a second then realized it was just he sun streaming through her bedroom window. That only happened late in the morning, though…

Groggily she threw herself onto her side and fumbled from the alarm clock on her night stand. It took a minute for the digits to come into focus but by the time they did she could make out 10:34 AM.

"Oh great…," she said and flopped onto her back again. She practiced a phlegm-y cough, hoping her boss would buy it when she called in a bit later. She stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom where she found a brush and started untangling her red locks. She didn't even look in the mirror. She half-expected to see some monster's face there if she looked before she was ready.

All at once she heard a harsh, blaring beep started to sound from the kitchen. Julia sighed and a pit formed in her stomach. It was her boss calling to find out where the hell she was, no doubt. She listened for another second, however, and realized it wasn't either of her phones. It was louder, more urgent. Julia scrambled into the kitchen and realized it was the tracking device Mr. Fortunes had given her. Even though its screen had been black since she got home, now she could see a map of the city. A blue dot marked her apartment building and a red dot appeared a mile or so away.

Already…?

She scooped up the tracker off the table as well as her buckle and cards, but then spotted something that hadn't been there the night before. A set of keys, like for a motorcycle she thought. On a hunch she walked to the window overlooking the building's parking lot, and out there was a bright blue motorcycle she'd never seen before, but had a feeling she knew who it belonged to.

***

Within minutes Julia was zooming along the motorcycle, something she hadn't done since college. A thrill traveled up her body, like the first time she'd gone riding with Marco out to one of those insane parties of his. She wondered what he'd say if he could see what she did next.

Julia slapped the buckle against her waist, and immediately a belt shot from one end, curled around her waist and fastened to the other. She slid the bishop card into its slot and flipped pulled the loading trigger. "Transform!" There was a flash and she had assumed her superhuman form again. Chapra, hadn't he called it?

She weaved through traffic, hearing more than a few squealing tires as she sped by surprised drivers. As she rounded a bend she forget all about them. Smoke was rising from the street surrounding a police station. The one where Peter reported…

As she got closer she could see what had caused it. It was a bat, with heavy wings and jutting fangs in its furry face, but as tall as a man. It flew back and forth, emitting an ear-shattering wail every now and then, punching a new hole in the wall of the police station each time. When she screeched to a halt on the curb the Bat Taint, which was obviously what it was, hovered in place and regarded her for silently, but she had no doubt it was sizing up what kind of threat she presented.

Chapra withdrew the card for her reliquary and slipped it into her belt buckle, but as she was about to pull the load trigger Bat Taint swooped at her. It rammed into Chapra, stunning her for a second, and in that second it clamped its claws into one shoulder and the connected forearm and hoisted her into the air. The one she used to pull the load trigger. Bat Taint let out a triumphant shriek…


	2. Chapter 2

Kamen Rider Chapra Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any of the associated trademarks. Kamen Rider Chapra, its characters and setting are my creations and may not be used without express permission. If you want to, just ask.

She stretched out her free arm to reach the trigger but Bat Taint shrieked and flew toward the side of the nearest building and slammed Chapra against it. She was only dazed for a second, but when the stars cleared she even higher off the ground and the monster's claws digging even harder into her shoulder.

As surreptitiously as she could manage she reached again but Bat Taint glared down at her, fangs glistening, and she stopped. Chapra bit her lip behind her mask and didn't fail to notice the blood starting to seep from her arm.

How the hell had she been talked into this? What belt level had she even been up to before she quit going? She didn't know and the bat's toenails digging into her flesh weren't helping jog her memory.

Then Bat Taint screamed and released her arm. She managed to land in an awkward crouch, and looked up to see Bat Taint locked in midair combat with a silver and green figure. He slashed again and again at the flying monster with a glistening sword, then finally knocked it to the ground a blow from the flat of his blade. Before it could get to its feet her rescuer had impaled his sword in the side of the building, swung forward on it and landed between the monster Chapra.

He was another one like herself, there was no doubt about it. The armor plating covering his chest, legs and arms was a dull silver like hers, but had long blade-like protrusions on the shoulder and wrist armor. Underneath his uniform was a dark green.

"Who are you?" she gasped.

"Krysaider. Did you forget about us already?" he said then rushed at the monster.

Bat Taint beat its leathery wings and took to the air, Krysaider's sword missing its leg by a fraction of an inch. The aerial monster circled around them then gave off a deafening shriek. Windows up and down the street vibrated then cracked, sending a torrent of broken glass pouring down. Krysaider dashed over to where Chapra was leaning, slapping a card into his buckle and pulling the trigger.

In a flash a wide shield appeared clutched in his other hand, the emblem of a horse's head decorating the front. He held it above them, blocking most of the falling glass. Taking advantage of the respite Chapra finally pulled the trigger on her own buckle and was rewarded with her reliquary appearing in her hand.

"You're in no shape to use that," Krysaider said. Not sounding concerned or anxious, just as if he were making an observation.

"Look, thanks for the help, but I'm gonna take care of the monster now if that's okay with you," Chapra replied indignantly. With the glass no longer clattering off Krysaider's shield she jumped out from underneath it as Bat Taint flew toward them, as if it had realized a frontal attack was its only option. It shrieked again, but Chapra loaded another card and her protective mantle formed around her shoulders. She held it up and though it creaked, the sonic blast didn't get through. As Bat Taint zoomed past she slammed it into the monster's stomach as hard as she could. It spun crazily through the air, toward Krysaider. She gasped out in pain.

As the monster went by he jumped over it and stabbed his sword into its wing, then sliced downward leaving a bleeding tear. Bat Taint didn't even have a chance to voice its pain before crashing headfirst into a parked car. Without wasting a second Krysaider withdrew another card and slipped it into his buckle. Bat Taint managed to haul itself out of the car, and that was when Krysaider attacked.

He jumped, aiming a booted foot at the monster's stomach. "Krysaide Kick!" he yelled, his foot glowing a bright green. Bat Taint went flying from the impact, and as it did the monster glowed green as well then crumbled into tiny fragments that raced back into Krysaider's sword. Chapra glared at him.

"I could've finished him."

"But you didn't," Krysaider replied calmly. His weapons glimmered then vanished. "This is a contest, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember…"

He nodded then pulled the card depicting a chess knight from his buckle. His armor turned transparent then split in two, leaving the blonde man she'd met the night before in his place.

"Move a little faster next time," he said before he jogged around a corner. She felt like chasing him for a minute, then shook her head and pulled the bishop card out of her own buckle. The pain in her arm sharpened but she ignored it. Her attention was on the bloodied face she noticed through a shattered windshield.

"Peter? Can you hear me?" She cradled his chin gently. He groaned and looked up at her with bleary eyes.

"Julia? What are you doing here…?" he croaked.

"I wanted to talk about last night, but I guess you're the one who's not in the mood now." She smiled bitterly, hoping to take his mind off his injuries.

"What the hell happened to your arm?"

"A bat monster attacked me. Some guy in a green suit showed up and saved me."

"A bat monster? It attacked me too. Sounds like these things have it in for me," he coughed, a trickle of red dribbling down his chin. Julia froze.

"Don't talk," she hissed. "I'm gonna call an ambulance."

"I knew it, you do care," he gasped as his world went black.

Julia shuffled through her cards for the seventh, both amazed and disappointed at what she saw. There were so many more powers than she'd gotten the chance to use yet. Punches, kicks, lightning, fire, but none that looked like they'd speed someone's healing.

Tenderly she rubbed her arm. It didn't hurt as much now, but she'd have some interesting marks there for a while, and had gone home to get a jacket so people wouldn't ask what happened. Thinking of her own injuries she glanced over at Peter, still unconscious in his hospital bed, and wondered if she could even use the cards for people besides herself. It seemed unlikely.

"Miss?"

She almost jumped out her chair and immediately jammed the cards into her purse. She looked up to see a heavyset black nurse standing over her. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You'll need to come back later."

"…all right," Julie replied and shouldered her purse. She thought about going back to the station. Some of Peter's friends there knew here; maybe she could talk to them about the attack and write up something for her editor so the day wouldn't be a complete loss. Or maybe go home and crawl into bed and hope the world wouldn't be insane anymore when she woke up. It hadn't worked the first time, though…

She walked into the parking lot to where she'd left the motorcycle. _Redeemer_ was engraved on the fairing, something she hadn't noticed before. She was mounting when, for the second time in ten minutes, she heard a voice from behind that made her jump. Some superhero she was turning out to be.

"I didn't know you could ride."

Wearily Julia turned toward the voice then let out a sigh of relief. Standing there was a slim woman with black air and a teasing expression that faded once she saw Julia from the front. "You look like shit, girl. Things aren't that bad with Pete, are they?"

"Abby…" Julia said and threw her arms around her dearest friend. "I honestly don't know what things are like with Peter right now. He almost got killed by a giant bat and hasn't woken up yet."

"Did he ask you?"

"I think he was going to, but we got interrupted. There was this huge spider and-'

Abby clapped her hands on Julia's shoulders. "Whoa, slow down there girl."

"It's true! I swear! It'll be all over the news by tonight!"

"That's not what I mean," Abby said. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I…I didn't get home til around five, I guess. No, not much."

"Let's go to Sherwood's, get some of that tea you like, huh? My treat."

"I'd…I'd really like that," Julia replied. "Meet you there?"

"Maybe I should drive…," Abby offered.

"Thanks, but I just got this thing and I'm not leaving it here."

Twenty minutes later Julia passed Abby as she headed into the back of their favorite coffee shop. She hadn't appreciated the good a few minutes freshening up in the ladies' room could really do a person until that moment. The weary eyes and tangled locks of red hair were gone, and she could actually look in the mirror and say the woman looking back resembled a human being.

She wondered if that Krysaider character was going through the kind of strain coping as she was. He sure didn't show it, if that was the case. But then, what did he show? An interest in the greater good from how he asked why they didn't receive the same benefits. Then again, there was "This is a contest, remember?" To say nothing of "Move a little faster next time." But if it was just a contest to him, why had he helped her? Both by shielding her from the falling glass and rushing that other woman out the door when she'd gotten on Julia's case.

_How about this_, she thought_, next time I'll handle the monster all by my slow lady-self._

There were only a few other people around with it being early afternoon. An old woman with gigantic sunglasses fiddling with an MP3 player while sipping a latte in one booth and a pair of girls chatting energetically about nothing around one of the tables in the center of the room. Julia felt safer going ahead with what she was considering.

A steaming cup of tea was waiting for her as she slid into the booth. Gratefully she took a long sip and the flavor of peppermint flowed into her mouth. "You're a lifesaver," she sighed in relief.

"Maybe now you'll be willing to tell me what the hell had you so strung out?" Abby asked, concern focusing her eyes sharply on her friend.

Julia sucked in breath. "I don't know, Abby. I'm not sure I believe it myself…"

"Look, I believe you about the monsters, okay? You wouldn't tell me something like that if it wasn't true."

Slowly Julia pulled the buckle and cards out of her purse and laid them on the table between them. Abby inspected them with a curious glint in her eyes rather than incredulity, then looked up and waited for the explanation.

"Yesterday this guy who called himself Mr. Fortunes gave these to me when I was attacked by a giant spider. They give me powers, and I'm supposed to use them to kill the rest of these monsters. Me and three other people, I mean."

"Does Pete know?" Abby asked.

Julia sighed and shook her head. "I just don't feel ready to tell him. Not after how he reacted to me wanting to work the crime beat."

Abby nodded. "But why you? No offense J, but you're not exactly…"

"I don't know either. But this is real, Abby." She rolled up her sleeve to show the claw marks that had made it through her uniform. "The thing that put Peter in the hospital did this."

Abby touched the marks gingerly, then looked her friend full in the face. "Why don't you come hear us play tonight? We got a new bassist and he's really not that bad."

Julia couldn't help but grin, a sliver of peppermint tea running down her chin. "What are you guys called this week? The Traffic Light Maniacs or something?"

"They were the guys who played before us last time," Abby said, making a sound of mock offense. "It's Blood Roses now, okay? And it's not changing anymore even if I have to borrow my brother's gun to keep the rest of the band in line."

Julia smile and wiped her chin. "You know what? Yeah, I'll come. Hearing you guys make noise should seem normal compared to what's been happening to me."

"Whaaat?" Abby said then smiled. "It's at the Viper Pit at nine. You know where that is?"

"Isn't that where those two Italians tried to pick us up and I threw up all over the one?"

Abby laughed. "That's the place. Meet me in the alley behind it and I'll get you in for free."

"I'll wear my best denim."

Julia squeezed the Redeemer into the empty space behind the pile of rusty metal and glass she called a car and slipped back up to her apartment. Something compelled her to take the buckle with her into the bathroom while she showered.

Maybe it was the thought of Peter laying there lifeless. Him, the policeman, the protector of the populace. Who'd seemed so strong and masculine in the weeks since they'd started dating. Then suddenly all that had changed a few days ago when she announced her career plans and he'd tried to talk her out of it.

She sighed as the warm droplets washed over her, wondering what she ought to do. It seemed callous to consider her name in her chosen field over her boyfriend, and he was probably right that reporting on crimes would put her at risk. But had that been the only reason he'd tried to turn her down? Did he maybe think she'd try to make use of his connections on the force to further her career?

Julia pushed open the door of the shower stall and walked out, wrapping a towel around herself. She started to brush out her hair, but her gaze shifted to the buckle resting on the edge of the sink.

Why had she really accepted that thing? She'd said to defend herself if she was attacked again, but as she stared at the thing she knew that wasn't true. Julia sighed and found a pair of jeans that wasn't too ragged and an East Side Angels t-shirt. She'd bought it from Abby two incarnations of her band ago as a favor. Again she slipped on the denim jacket she'd worn. The scars might attract the wrong kind of attention at a place like the Viper Pit.

After a minute she found her car keys in among the clutter of her kitchen drawer, but stopped herself. Why should she take the rust bucket when she suddenly had something a lot more impressive to take to the club?

The streetlights were on by the time Julia pulled her bike to a stop in the parking lot across from the Viper Pit. A line of people, mostly couples, stretched around the block waiting for the pair of hefty bouncers to let them into the underground hangout. She pushed her way through the line to the alley behind the building where she could just make out a heavy stage door by the corner. She walked up and knocked hard three times.

The door creaked as it swung open. Abby poked her head around the side and smiled as she recognized Julia. "Come on in, quick! Before somebody sees!"

"Hey!" a young man waiting in line yelled. Julia slipped inside and Abby slammed the door behind them.

"Are you guys up next?" Julia asked once she was inside. Her eardrums were assaulted by electronic drivel and amplified screaming. Strangely, she found it soothed her ragged nerves. And she wasn't even into metal.

"Yeah, it should just be another couple minutes. Go get a drink and let some cute loser hit on you."

"Thanks," Julia said with some mock indignation of her own. Abby stuck her tongue out and left to talk with a group of unshaven guys standing on the edge of the stage. Julia slipped off the stage as inconspicuously as she could. Between the blaring music and flickering, colored lights illuminating the dance floor no one noticed her at all.

She weaved through a morass of dancing couples over to the bar and waved down a woman in a leather bodice.

"What'll it be, honey?" the bartender smiled.

"You have Kirin here?"

"Yeah, we got Kirin. I'll be right back," the bartender replied.

Julia settled against the bar in time to see the band that had been playing slink off the stage to cheers. She half-expected to see a bra arc through the air, but either it wasn't that kind of venue or none of the band members' girlfriends were in the crowd that night. Julia heard a cough as Abby and her bandmates were taking the stage, and realized a scruffy kid with a ponytail and nose ring was leaning on the bar next to her.

"Hey honey, how about you and me go somewhere quiet."

"Come back in a few years."

"Awww come on," he said with an idiotic grin. "The…" he leaned over and read the text on her shirt. She grimaced. "…East Side Angels aren't even playin' tonight."

"Stare at my chest again and you'll be out cold for the rest of the night."

That stupid grin didn't budge an inch. "I can tell when a chick's playin-" he started to say, then stopped as he saw something behind Julia. She turned and saw a long crack forming in the wall, which suddenly exploded outward. Julia ducked as pieces of plaster and wood went flying. When she looked up she saw her would-be paramour on the floor with blood pooling on the floor from the back of his head. The music was quickly replaced by screams as the club patrons fled for the nearest exit. Some scrambled up on stage looking for a way.

Julia slapped the buckle into place on her waist and turned to face the source of the chaos. What she saw made her blood run cold. It was a hideous, giant centipede, at least six feet long from head to tail and weaving this way and that and trampling patrons with its countless spindly legs. It picked up one screaming young woman with a flailing tendril connected to its head, dragged her to its mouth and tore her in half with one swipe of its mandibles.

"Transform!" Julia yelled, barely able to hear herself over the pandemonium, and pulled the buckle's trigger. A sheet of blue power ran over her body and again she'd become Chapra. The horrific creature turned toward her, spent a moment sizing her up then charged.

She jumped high, then kicked. Her boot smashed into the creature's head and it made a high-pitched cry. She jumped again, both fists aimed at the monster's head this time. All of a sudden it rose up, battering her out of the air with its many legs. Centipede Taint then ran over Chapra, pinning her to the floor. Its feet dug into her torso and sides repeatedly.

Chapra found the card for her mantle and pressed it into the buckle. To her relief it flashed into being around her shoulders and she quickly interposed it between herself and Centipede Taint's pounding feet. She twisted her body and managed to press her feet against the monster's underside, then kicked upward with all her strength. With a shrill cry of surprise Centipede Taint flopped crazily up into the air and slammed into the wall.

As she got to her feet she knew why she'd accepted the buckle. Why she'd agreed to risk her life against these creatures. The Taint, whatever it truly was and wherever it came from, was evil. Worst of all it seemed a mindless evil, destroying for destruction's sake. It had to be stopped. And if she was chosen for that task, she would do it.

Without hesitation she loaded another pair of cards, a raging flame and Chapra throwing a punch. "Burning Fist!" she yelled and punched out at Centipede Taint, fire engulfing her hand and burning a hole clean through the middle of the creature. It screamed in pain and battered Chapra with its legs but she raised her mantle to shield herself as she pressed the trigger and her reliquary appeared in her other hand. She swung it with all her might at Centipede Taint, cutting through a clutch of legs that fell to the floor, still twitching and writhing. It screamed again and retreated from this threat, giving Chapra all the time she needed to load another two cards.

A blizzard and Chapra lashing out with a kick.

"Frost Kick!" she yelled as loud as she could and jump-kicked Centipede Taint. Her boot made impact with the monster's head, and immediately a sheet of ice started to engulf Centipede Taint. The monster shrieked but within seconds it was completely encased. Chapra loaded a last card, the one with the head of the reliquary glowing.

"Final Purification," she whispered and shattered Centipede Taint with a blow from her weapon. Icy fragments skittered all over the floor, then turned into globs of light that floated into the cross at the tip of Chapra's reliquary.

She'd done it.

Abby stood on stage, the only person who hadn't fled the club, clapping and smiling tiredly. Chapra pulled the bishop card from her buckle, her armor flashing away, and smiled back at her friend.

"Boy, am I glad I invited you out tonight…" Abby said.

"Me too, Abby. Me too."


End file.
